Episode 7: Beasts Devouring Each Other

Food Wars! for the time being, remains rather predicable. We have excellent build ups for great future episodes but are sometimes left with nothing but repetitiveness at times. The episode itself is still solid, mind you, just was cheeky with the delivery. We still get all the classic humor, great references, and a beautiful showcase as to why we are being faced with Soma’s fiercest adversaries.

The card game anime reference was fantastic (nice nod to Yu-Gi-Oh!). If there is one thing Food Wars! is never short on is references. There is nothing we appreciate more than the silly moments like that. References aside, Akira’s attack and utilization of spices went as fantastically as anyone could have imagined or hoped for. He was confident and made sure to play his cards right. After refusing to yield to Ryo’s antagonism, his Canard Apicius (duck dish) certainly was captivating. The only thing that concerns me with Akira as a cook is his lack of mobility when it comes going outside the box. He relies solely on his (amazing) ability when utilizing spices and determining flavors with his sense of smell. I get the feeling that at some point this will be to his detriment. If he isn’t able to innovate quite like Soma can, then I foresee things not going entirely well for him in the finals.

Whether she likes it or not, having Erina there speculating with Soma is a jump in the right direction.

Having both of these two powerhouses playing up their specialties certainly meant that they were going to bring their best to the table. Knowing Ryo’s propensity to behave in such a intense manner we knew we would be in for something shocking. That being said, his choice of Eel came at no surprise. The plum however, was definitely a new direction for Ryo. Up to this point we have always assumed that his ferocity would get the best of him and he wouldn’t be able to sustain this combative method all the time. However, it appears this time around that this was Ryo’s saving grace. Delivering the shocking counter flavor was still in line with his personality. It also is a great way of showing his ability to diversify the flavors he uses. I’m going to call it now, Soma’s real adversary is going to be Ryo.

What was particularly enjoyable is Ryo’s attitude towards the judges. His lack of a social filter really ads to his whole nature. I wonder whether he will join the ranks of the Soma followers and bring this with him throughout the duration of the show. If anything it is certainly entertaining watching him consistently ruffle everyone’s feathers.

After spending the bulk of the episode making it seem like Akria had Ryo in a corner, they did do a nice 180. With Akira’s constant attitude I was hoping for his hubris to catch up to him somehow. Thankfully it happened rather quickly. It would have felt wrong (and too easy) if Akira had won that quickly.

Putting off the winner within this episode really seemed too predictable. In a way, I kinda feel cheated. Sure, the three of them in the OP in a huge battle but in a way I didn’t want it to come about in the predictable way. At some point the typical formula for Food Wars! episodes will (hopefully) change, but in terms of this one, it is not the case. Despite this, it is the only gripe I have about the episode. If the following episodes are spent building up the characters in their personal lives prior to the main event, then I will be happy.

The build up for the huge finally that’s to come is fantastic, however, I can’t help but feel we have been given the good old fashioned shonen cock-block. We had a solid battle with really great dishes, just no true resolution. Ryo’s frustration is understandable but that just means we will have three characters to watch over the course of the rest of the season.

Beasts Devouring Each OtherWe now can see why Soma's future challenge will be his toughest yet. With Akria and Ryo advancing to the next round the ensuing battle will certainly fun to witness. It will be more difficult with two enemies to focus on. But we believe in you Soma. The episode was great just felt too predictable.

About Patrick Moore

is a co-founder of BentoByte. He is an audiophile with a predilection for every type of media. He enjoys playing music, going to shows, being active, good beer, going on adventures, and of course gaming and anime.